NOTE: On NNR Samantha Bunten of NBC Sports and I discussed the news of the day, injuries from week 6, our views of all week 6 games including the Browns/Broncos.

On Monday night the Giants scored a TD on their 1st possession. But then the Eagle D shut them down. While the Eagle O is still trying to fit all the new gadgets into the game, the D has figured it out and is playing very well. The early issues on defense were primarily caused by the lack of rest. When the O can’t convert 3rd downs in a no huddle O, the D is on the field a lot.

The team has missed ILB Mychal Kendricks for a couple of weeks. Despite that the D is playing aggressive defense. Rookie 3rd round pick Jordan Hicks has been outstanding. He has helped the D continue to improve. His instincts are outstanding.

Two early interceptions, one of which was a pick 6, made Giant QB Eli Manning tentative. That combined with WR Odell Beckham Jr. being the primary target made the job of the Eagle D much easier. The D would have been better had they not committed so many penalties. That is still a problem for the Eagles.

The problem with the offense is that the players that the Eagles brought in do not fit what HC Chip Kelly is running. One example is QB Sam Bradford. While he ran a no huddle O in Oklahoma, several injuries have limited his mobility. He struggles to make stretch hand offs and even more to run the read option.

Another addition, running back DeMarco Murry, is also a bad fit. First of all any back in the NFL that had nearly 500 touches the previous year has never done well the following year. Add Murry’s injury history and this was a bad signing from the start. At Dallas Murry ran down hill. But the Kelly O has him running east/west to get to the hole. As a result Murry has not been productive.

The key to the rest of the Eagle season is the offense giving the D some rest between possessions. If they do, there is a good chance that the Eagles could win the NFC Least.

That is what I think. Tell us what you think by commenting here or tweeting me @NNRonDSN.

NOTE: News, Notes and Rumors podcast are BACK. Check out our thoughts on Fridays about the games coming up and Monday on the results of the weekend. My co-host is Samantha Bunten of NBC Sports. Podcasts can be heard on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/. Thanks for your support.

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He edits https://fryingpansports.com. He has also published several novels onand a non-fiction work at http://www.merriam-press.com/. Follow him on twitter @NNRonDSN to get the schedule of Special News, Notes and Rumors broadcasts. You can hear the previous shows on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/.

He also edits.

To keep up with the News, Notes & Rumors podcasts, follow me on twitter @NNRonDSN.

The offense is the biggest issue. They have not been able to convert 3rd downs. In game 1 they were 3 for 12 and just 2 of 11 at home against Dallas. Without converting 3rddown, the Chip Kelly speed up offense wears down the Eagle D not the opponent.

A big reason that the running game is not working. It was a bad idea to bring in RB DeMarco Murray. He had almost 500 touches last year in Dallas. Running backs that have had 400+ touches have not done well the following year. But an even bigger issues is the running system. Kelly wants to pull 2 O linemen for runs at the edge. That works in college but in the NFL the D linemen are way too fast and experienced. The Eagle runners are caught in the backfield way too often by a D linemen or linebacker that shoots through the whole left by the pulling blockers.

The passing game depends a lot on play action. But with Murray having gained 11 yards in 21 carries, no linebacker or safety is going to be affected by play action. There are also concerns about QB Sam Bradford fitting the Kelly system. While I believe that the injury last year was due to the Rams bringing him back too soon, Bradford has a nasty history of injury. He is not a running threat and has shown some bad decision making so far in the Kelly system.

Kelly is stubborn. He is not going to change his system. As a result Santa may not be the only one that Eagle fans boo.

That is what I think. Tell us what you think by commenting here or tweeting me @NNRonDSN.

NOTE: News, Notes and Rumors podcast are BACK. Check out our thoughts on Fridays about the games coming up and Monday on the results of the weekend. My co-host is Samantha Bunten of NBC Sports. Podcasts can be heard on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/. Thanks for your support.

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He edits https://fryingpansports.com. He has also published several novels onand a non-fiction work athttp://www.merriam-press.com/. Follow him on twitter @NNRonDSN to get the schedule of Special News, Notes and Rumors broadcasts. You can hear the previous shows on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/.

He also edits.

To keep up with the News, Notes & Rumors podcasts, follow me on twitter @NNRonDSN.

NOTE: Check out the live News, Notes and Rumors show on Monday and Friday at 6 PM Eastern on The Bill Smith Radio Show or the archive of the shows on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/. On Monday Samantha Bunten of NBC Sports and I discuss the Browns game and the results of the weekend. On Friday Tony Williams Giants beat writer for Metro New York joins Samantha and me to preview the upcoming games.

News:

Rams QB Sam Bradford suffered a torn ACL and will be lost for the season. The only other QB on the team is Kellen Clemens so the team will need to find one.

Bears QB Jay Cutler left the game with a muscle tear in his groin. Backup Josh McCown played well in his absence. The injury to Cutler will keep him out for at least a month. The Bears are thinking of signing QB Josh Palmer. They also lost LB Lance Briggs.

Bengals top CB Leon Hall suffered an Achilles’ tendon injury. If it is torn he would miss the rest of the season.

The Eagles lost QB Nick Foles to a groin injury but Mike Vick should be able to play next week. That is a good thing for the team since QB Matt Barkley threw 3 interceptions.

Colt WR Reggie Wayne suffered an ALC tear and is out for the year. At 35 it is not certain if he will try to return next season.

Ravens RB Bernard Pierce suffered a leg injury which is not considered serious.

Texans LB Brian Cushing suffered a torn LCL and broken leg. He tweeted he would be back.

Redskin S Brandon Meriweather has been suspended for 2 games for illegal hits. He has appealed the suspension and it will be heard soon.

The NFL lost two of the old timers in the league. Titans owner Bud Adams and former Oiler coach Oail Andrew “Bum” Phillips Jr., both 90 years old, died this past weekend.

Notes:

Jets 30 Patriots 27 OT – The Jet defense harassed QB Tom Brady all afternoon. The Jet D held Brady and the Pat O to 1 of 12 third down conversions. Despite the 3rd down failures the Pats built a 21-10 lead at half time. QB Geno Smith was 17-33 with a TD and a pick. He looked sharp. The Jets traded with the Saints to get RB Chris Ivory. He proved his worth for the first time this season running for 104 yards on 34 attempts.

Cowboys 17 Eagles 3 – While QB Foles may have looked like a legitimate starter in Chip Kelly’s O last week, that was the defenseless Buccaneers. Against the Boys, Foles was exposed. He was slow to react and make down field reads. He lacks the speed to challenge the D outside on the zone read. That hurts the run up the middle and allows the D to play man to man. He also struggled badly with accuracy. The Boys were not an offensive juggernaut either against one of the worst defenses in the league. The Boys scored just 3 points in the first half. That was bad but the Eagles scored just 3 points for the game.

Steelers 19 Ravens 16 – The Ratbirds still have not solved their O issues. All of the Raven stats look decent but QB Joe Flacco could not make the play at the critical time. The Raven O line struggles to handle a blitz. The pressure forced Flacco to move and that is not his strength. The Steeler O was not much better. They also moved the ball between the 20s but failed to get it into the endzone.

Bills 23 Dolphins 21 – QB Ryan Tannehill threw 3 TDs but also lost a fumble and threw 2 interceptions including a pick 6. The Fish O could not stay on the field converting just 3 of 13 third down attempts. Bills QB Thad Lewis was just OK but threw for 202 yards without a TD and one pick. The game turned on Lewis leading two scoring drives in the 4th quarter for field goals. Starting on his 26 Lewis led the Bills for a field goal early in the 4th quarter to bring the score to MI 21 BF 20. Tannehill was not able to increase the lead. When he was sacked he fumbled late in the 4th. DE Kyle Williams recovered at the Miami 34. Lewis drove the team to the 13 for the final kick to win.

Redskins 45 Bears 41 – The Bears not only lost their QB early in game, they lost their lead in the NFC North. But it was not QB Josh McCown that let the Bears down. It was the Bear D that caused the loss. The D gave up 499 yards including 209 on the ground. Time will tell if this was a one time thing or an indication the Bears are a pretender. Redskin QB Robert Griffin is looking better every week. With just under 4 minutes left the Bears led 41-38. RG3 drove the Skins on an 80 yard drive and scored on a run with just 45 second left for the winning TD.

Packers 31 Browns 13 – Browns O was offensive in a bad way. Check out my in game notes right below this article on https://fryingpansports.com/.

Rumors:

Texans owner Bob McNair gave head coach Gary Kubiak the feared “vote of confidence” after the team almost upset the undefeated Chiefs.

The Rams may have lost Bradford due to a punch. Earlier in the game OT Chris Long was ejected because of an alleged punch. On the play on which Bradford was hurt he was forced out of the pocket due to the pass rush. He was hit on the sideline and is out for the season.

The Bronco loss to the Colts showed the two major flaws in their game. First the O line is below average but has been disguised by Payton Manning’s quick release. This loss also showed that the Bronco D is not as strong as it appeared.

Mike Florio reports that Jags WR Justin Blackmon could be traded by Oct. 29th the trading deadline. There are several teams that have lost WRs or need another one. Those rumors also include a possible trade of Browns WR Josh Gordon who will be suspended for at least a year if he fails another drug test. NBC Sports Pro Football Talk reports the Gordon trade is not “probable.”

Despite a near record level of ineptness in his game Monday night, Vikings Coach Leslie Frazier said QB Josh Freeman could start Sunday against the Packers.

Browns coach Rob Chudzinski announced that Jason Campbell will be the starter against the Chiefs Sunday.

That’s what I think. Tell me what you think.

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He edits https://fryingpansports.com. He has also published several novels onand a non-fiction work at http://www.merriam-press.com/. Follow him on twitter @NNRonDSN to get the schedule of Special News, Notes and Rumors broadcasts. You can hear the previous shows on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/ and the live show Mondays at 6 PM Eastern time on The Bill Smith Radio Show.

He also edits .

To keep up with the News, Notes & Rumors podcasts, follow me on twitter @NNRonDSN.